Bicycle-brake



(No Model.)

J. L. SAGKETT. BICYCLE BRAKE.

No. 587,611. Patented Aug. 3,1897.

WITNESSES A TI'OHNE rs UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

JASPER L. SAOKETT, OF CHICOPEE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMBMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF OI-IICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.

BICYCLE-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,611, dated August3, 1897. Application filed December 3, 1896. Serial No. 614,286. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JASPER L. SAcKETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicopee, in the county of IIampden and State ofl\Iassachusetts,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements inBicycle-Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art IO to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

' The brake is of the class known as front plunger-brakesthat is, suchas operate 7 upon the front wheel and move bodily toi 5 ward and awayfrom the same, being actuated in the usual way by devices alongside thehandle-bar.

In the drawings, which show only such parts as aid in setting forth theconstruction,

attachment, and operation of the novel devices, Figure 1 is a sideelevation, partly in axial vertical section, showing the brake in itsnormal raised position. Fig. 2 is a front View of the same devices.Fig.' 3 shows the same devices seen in the direction of the arrow ofFig. 1.

In all the figures where the letters appear, A represents an ordinaryfront fork of a bicycle, B the front wheel, and C a tubular o brake-rodbearing at its lower end two square or prismatic blocks D D, of rubber,each approximately parallel to a tangent to the wheel at the nearestpoint of the latter. The two blocks lie upon opposite sides of themedial 3 5 plane of the wheel and have their tire-meeting faces normallyparallel to planes tangent to the tire at the points where the twoblocks meet the latter when the brake is forced downward into contactwith it.

0 From the lower side of the fork-crown a rigid arm E extends forwardbetween the blocks a little above the tire, and into the forward end ofthe arm is screwed an upwardly-projecting post or rod F, parallel to 5the axis of the steering-head and provided at its free end with anenlargement or head which fits, piston like, in the bore of thebrake-rod. \Vithin the latter a coiled spring Glies between the head Fand a stop H, fixed in the tube, and offers yielding resistance to thedepression of the latter. In the lower end of the tubular rod is screweda sleeve I, which fits the post F and, with the head F, serves to keepthe tube in perfect alinement with the post. To facilitate theinsert-ion and 5 5 removal of the sleeve, it is provided with aflange-head I, transversely slotted to receive a screw-driver. The arm Eis rigidly but detach-ably fixed to the fork by means of a tubular boltJ, passing through its perforated rear end into that portionof the forkwhich lies just above it. At its lower end the brakerod is provided witha plane integral annular flange K, inclined to the axis of the rod, andto this is rigidly fixed a plate L, having forked front and rear ends,both bent downward into planes parallel to the rods axis, or nearly so.Between corresponding branches 0 O of the forks the rubber blocks D Dare mounted upon axial bolts Q, which prefer- 7o ably draw the branchestogether, so as to produce enoughfriction to prevent accidental rotationof the blocks upon the bolts, but not enough to offer serious resistanceto their forcible rotation. 4

The arm E, which lies between the branches of the rear fork, is so farbelow the plate L that the latter never strikes it when the brakedescends, and the height of the plate when raisedthat is, the distanceof the brake .from the tire1nay be varied by adjusting the post F in thearm which supports it.

It is obvious that if the brake-rod be forced downward the spring willbe compressed until the rubber blocks meet the tire, and that since thelatter may rotate they will adjust themselves to the surface which theymeet and form a perfectly-fitting V-shaped shoe, compressing the tireboth laterally and vertically, but only along lines upon each side ofthe middle of the tread. hen the downward force upon the brake-rodceases to act, the brake is instantly raised by the reaction of thespring, and this result follows with more certainty than in manyplunger-brakes, 5 for the reason that the powerful forward traction ofthe wheel upon the brake when the latter is vigorously applied canneither spring the rod nor distort its bearings. This result arises fromthe fact that when the shoe is fully depressed, as in using greatbraking force, the plate L is brought down very near the arm E and thepull is almost in line with that arm, and hence lacks the usual leverageupon the rod.

The blocks being of rubber, and consequently not slipping easily uponthe tire, and the tire being in eifect wedged between them, a slightforce has a great retarding effect, and this is of importance where itis necessary to keep the brakeapplied constantly for a considerabletimeas, for example, in descending a long hill, where the hand wouldotherwise become seriously tired; but although it is effective theminimum amount of injury to the tire results, because the rubber isyielding and cannot in any case out the tire or rigidly hold sand orgrit, so as to needlessly injure it; and practically, since the shoebears only at the sides of the part receiving the greatest wear from theroad, the brake may be used freely without danger of shortening the lifeof the tire. With all these advantages the brake is light, its parts arereadily separable for repair, and it is easily attached to any wheel,and. when detached it leaves no visible traces of its use if properdevices be used for attaching the brake-lever.

\Vhat I claim is-- 1. The combination with a tubular brakerod, of asuitable brake shoe secured to the lower endof said rod, a rod-guidingpost extending from below into the lower end of said 2. The combinationwith a tubular brake-' rod, of atwo-part brake-shoe adapted to press thetire upon each side of its medial line, of an arm lying between the twoparts of the shoe and adapted for rigid attachment to the front fork,and a post fixed to the end of said arm and extending into the tubularrod, for the purpose set forth.

I 3. The combination with the tubular brakerod, of the coiled springwithin the same, the spring-supporting post projecting from the end ofthe rod, the post-supporting arm secured to the post, the forked platefixed to the lower end of the brake-rod, and the rotatable rubber blockscarried by the plate and lying upon opposite sides of said post.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JASPER L. SACKETT. \Vitnesses:

CHAs. C. CANDY, HOWARD L. HOLT.

